MPhil/PhD in International Relations
Programme Code: RPIR
Department: International Relations
For students starting this programme of study in 2020/21
Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations
In addition to progressing with their research, students are expected to take the listed training and transferable skills courses. Students may take courses in addition to those listed, and should discuss this with their supervisor.
Paper |
Course number, title (unit value) | |
Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
Training courses |
Compulsory (not examined): | |
|
IR501 Methods in International Relations Research (0.0) | |
|
Compulsory (not examined) | |
|
IR502 International Relations Theory/Area/History Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR504 Security and Statecraft Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR507 International Institutions, Law and Ethics Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR555 International Political Economy Research Workshop (0.0) | |
Transferable Skills Courses |
Workshop in information Literacy:finding, managing and organising published research and data (Year One) | |
Year 2 | ||
Training courses |
Compulsory (not examined) | |
|
IR502 International Relations Theory/Area/History Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR504 Security and Statecraft Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR507 International Institutions, Law and Ethics Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR555 International Political Economy Research Workshop (0.0) | |
Year 3 | ||
Research Cluster Workshop |
Compulsory (not examined) | |
Courses to the value of 0.0 unit(s) from the following: | ||
|
IR502 International Relations Theory/Area/History Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR504 Security and Statecraft Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR507 International Institutions, Law and Ethics Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR555 International Political Economy Research Workshop (0.0) | |
Year 4 | ||
Research Cluster Workshop |
Compulsory (not examined) | |
|
IR502 International Relations Theory/Area/History Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR504 Security and Statecraft Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR507 International Institutions, Law and Ethics Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
IR555 International Political Economy Research Workshop (0.0) | |
|
Optional (examined/not examined): Relevant courses provided by the Library, the Eden Centre, and the Methodology Department and agreed with supervisor, which can include: | |
|
DV560 Bayesian Reasoning for Qualitative Social Science: A modern approach to case study inference (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
|
MY500 Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design (0.5) | |
|
MY521 Qualitative Research Methods (0.5) (withdrawn 2021/22) | |
|
MY530 Advanced Qualitative Research Workshops (0.0) # (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
|
MY551 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis (0.5) (withdrawn 2021/22) | |
|
MY552 Applied Regression Analysis (0.5) # (withdrawn 2021/22) | |
|
||
|
MY591 Computing Packages for Applied Analysis (0.0) (withdrawn 2020/21) | |
Prerequisite Requirements and Mutually Exclusive Options
# means there may be prerequisites for this course. Please view the course guide for more information.
Footnotes
A : At the end of your second year, you will need to satisfy certain requirements and if you meet these, will be retroactively upgraded to PhD status.
Progression and upgrade requirements
All MPhil/PhD students at LSE are initially registered with MPhil status. Continued re-registration and upgrade are dependent on satisfactory progress being made.
Progress will be reviewed annually by a Research Panel made up of members of academic staff other than the supervisor. Students are normally upgraded to PhD status by the end of the second year.
By the end of your first year you will be required to submit a statement of research including a research outline and one draft chapter of no more than 10,000 words. The proposal, which should illustrate your command of the theoretical and empirical literature related to your topic, will be a clear statement of the theoretical and methodological approach you will take. This should demonstrate the coherence and feasibility of the proposed research and thesis. The submission will also include a timetable to completion, which should identify any periods of fieldwork necessary to your research.
For the second Panel, which will decide on the question of upgrading from MPhil to PhD, you will be expected to submit two additional draft chapters. The two chapters should be substantially new work, but may include revised material from year one. If you have not made sufficient progress to be converted from MPhil to PhD registration by the end of your second year, you will normally have re-registration made conditional on further progress (details to be decided by the Panel) or may, exceptionally, not be authorised to re-register.
Students in their third year of registration will be required to submit an annual progress report including a timetable to completion clearly setting out the work completed and remaining on the student’s research. These will need to be approved by the supervisor and reviewed by the DPD.
Requirements for all theses submitted for the degrees of MPhil and PhD in International Relations
The full requirements of a thesis are set out in the Regulations for Research Degrees.
A PhD thesis in International Relations, in addition to meeting the criteria outlined above, can take either of two forms and:
- consist either of a monograph that forms an integrated whole and present a coherent argument; or,
- alternatively, consist of a series of three or more publishable papers, with an introduction, critical discussion and conclusion, which may be submitted instead of a conventional thesis.
A thesis that contains only joint papers is not acceptable, and the Department will only allow one paper to be jointly authored. The thesis must contain linking materials which must be solely the work of the candidate. The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow researchers must be clearly stated by the student;
Within the scope provided by the Regulations for Research Degrees, the format of the thesis will be agreed with and approved by the supervisor(s) who will ensure that the format conforms to the Department’s requirements.
Note for prospective students:
For changes to graduate course and programme information for the next academic session, please see the graduate summary page for prospective students. Changes to course and programme information for future academic sessions can be found on the graduate summary page for future students.